The Natural Order of Things
by Aleia15
Summary: Byakuya thinks Abarai has forgotten which of them is the captain, and which the lieutenant. Byakuya/Renji


**The Natural Order of Things **

It all started with a glance.

It wasn't as unsubtle as the ones Renji gave him when they were alone, nor hungry or mischievous or fully disrespectful. Byakuya had to admit to that. It was, however, a look so different to the ones Abarai-fukutaichou used to give his superior that it gave him pause.

It was a slightly disapproving glance, coupled with a small down turning of the mouth and the barest hint of a frown.

Renji _resented_ being given that particular assignment; and where before he would have just stared stoically at Byakuya and nodded curtly, now he made his displeasure known.

Such a change was unbecoming. It didn't matter what they were when they were in Byakuya's rooms, locked behind closed doors and away from the prying eyes of the Gotei-13. Here, now, they were Kuchiki-taichou and Abarai-fukutaichou, and they had to behave as such.

Byakuya thought Abarai had forgotten which of them was the captain, and which the lieutenant.

It was a situation he intended to amend as soon as he was able to.

"Abarai," he said in his coldest voice, drawing himself up to full height. "You will take the assignment and go with the trainees. _Then_ you will report to me. I shall be in my home, since the exercise will end late."

"But, Bya--" Renji cut himself short, almost biting his tongue at Byakuya's scowl.

"That's an order, Abarai-fukutaichou," he said frigidly.

He didn't miss the resentful glance Renji shot him, and stared coolly at him until he just squared his shoulders and nodded.

He retired to his house as soon as Renji left the Taisha.

He had much to think about.

…

Renji was no different than many others Byakuya had taken to his bed since the death of Hisana, and yet he was like no other had been.

Byakuya was no innocent, in blood or in pleasure. He understood perfectly the brevity of life, especially since the war, and saw no reason to deny himself his desires. Renji and he had been gravitating around each other for years, and after letting go of his pride and all those heavy vows he had carried for a long time, allowing their relationship become what they both wanted was easy.

He was aware he had given Renji more liberties than any other lover before. He had let him in his bed, his body and his heart. The last one was a place no one had touched since Hisana.

And yet Renji seemed to shy from those things Byakuya would freely give him in the privacy of their bed, and hunger for those he shouldn't take when they were subjected to public scrutiny.

That was what he was going to change.

His lover needed to understand that whatever they were in the bedroom, outside they were still officers.

And Byakuya outranked him.

…

That asshole Byakuya!

Renji was incensed on his way back from that awful training exercise with the trainees. And to top it up, now he had to _report_ to the prick and make nice with him.

He was under no illusions this was an official visit. Byakuya had made that perfectly clear when he had given his orders. He did it to spite Renji, he was sure. He had intended to meet Rukia that afternoon and get the asshole's birthday present, and that stupid training exercise had screwed up his plans.

It would serve Byakuya right if he didn't have time to get him anything.

And yes, maybe Renji should have made up an excuse instead of protesting, but they had been alone in the office and--well, he had not thought Byakuya was such an uptight arse, not after what they had done the night before.

He had been mistaken.

A thunderous scowl on his face, Renji made his way to Byakuya's office. He'd usually just go to his room, but tonight he had the feeling Byakuya was waiting for him there, no matter how late it was.

He was right. The moment he knocked on the door, Byakuya's voice reached him loud and clear.

"Enter."

Renji stood there, glaring hotly at him for a second before squaring his shoulders.

"Kuchiki-taichou," he said in as neutral a voice as he could manage, considering he wanted nothing more than kicking the bastard in the face. "The report for the training exercise." He deposited a file on top of the desk. "No casualties to report. One of the trainees was lightly injured when she was hit by a falling rock. She was sent to the 4th and will be back in the Academy for more training. The rest of the trainees performed adequately."

Byakuya nodded once, not bothering to look at the file.

"Thanks Abarai-fukutaichou," he said, looking back at the papers he had been studying when Renji entered. "You are dismissed."

Renji narrowed his eyes, waiting for something else. Some kind of acknowledgement but there was nothing. He bowed curtly and turned to go.

Before he reached the door, though, Byakuya's voice stopped him.

"Where are you going, Renji?"

There was nothing of the coldness he had heard before, just simple curiosity and he turned around to look at Byakuya with a frown.

"You just dismissed me, _Kuchiki-taichou,_. I'm going home to rest." Or get drunk, more likely.

Byakuya stood from the desk and looked at him. "I dismissed my fukutaichou."

Renji stared at him uncomprehendingly. What kind of game was Byakuya playing? Whatever it was, he wasn't in the mood. "I _am_ your fukutaichou," he snapped, glaring at him.

"Yes. And you'd do well to remember that _when we are outside_." He stood up from his chair and moved to the door, darting a look at Renji over his shoulder. "Come with me."

For an instant Renji considered ignoring the thinly-veiled order. He was tired and cranky after the whole afternoon supervising a bunch or kids, and he was annoyed with Byakuya. But he knew he could no more refuse him here than he could choose not to obey an order outside. He tried, though.

He followed him silently to the bedroom. Byakuya didn't speak another word until the door was closed. He removed his haori and the kenseikan, letting his hair loose from the confining silver tubes. Renji observed the ritual in silence, standing in the middle of the bedroom.

"Did you want to come, Renji?" Byakuya finally asked, his voice soft.

Renji shook his head. "Not especially," he admitted, confused by Byakuya's attitude.

"Why are you here, then?" Byakuya asked, undoing his sash and beginning to remove the rest of his clothing.

Renji blinked, feeling his annoyance returning mixed with the first stirrings of arousal. He had seen Byakuya's body unclothed before, and he had removed the shikahuso himself on occasion. It was the first time he watched while Byakuya slowly took each piece of clothing off, removing them with care and revealing more of his unmarred skin with each movement. It was arousing, though Renji was doing his best to cling to his irritation.

"You ordered me--" he said, shaking himself out of his stupor.

Byakuya turned to look fully at him, only the hakama remaining. Renji felt his mouth drying. "No, I didn't. I suggested that you come with me, you could say no."

Renji narrowed his eyes. It had not sounded like that when they were downstairs.

"Take off your clothes Renji," Byakuya said shortly, and Renji's hands moved to obey before he was conscious of what he was doing.

"What are you playing at, Kuchiki-taichou?" he said, glaring at his hands and forcing them into submission.

It was Byakuya's turn to narrow his eyes. "No. What are _you_ playing at, Renji? You use my name in the office and my title in the bedroom? You protest an order and follow a suggestion?" And it dawned on him then, his brow clearing suddenly. "You have to remember you place _outside_. Here, you can forget it." Byakuya took a deep breath. "Will you take off your clothes now?"

This time he didn't stop his hands, he removed his own shikahuso with the same efficiency Byakuya had displayed. Byakuya stared hard at him, watching in silence until there was not a stitch of cloth covering him.

"Why did you do it?" he asked, his voice still cold.

"Because I wanted to," he simply said. There was still some of the day's irritation remaining, but he could see now where Byakuya was coming from. It had not been a good idea to question an order and protest earlier. Not with Byakuya being such a hard ass for _the rules_.

"Good," Byakuya said with a light quirk of his lips. "Now lay on the bed."

Renji did, spreading himself in the middle of the huge bed and looking expectantly at Byakuya. He climbed on it, settling next to Renji but not touching him. "Close your eyes."

Renji stared at Byakuya, his tattooed brows climbing up his forehead.

"Please," Byakuya said with that same damnable quirk of his mouth and this time Renji complied readily.

There was a moment of silence, only their breaths breaking the stillness in the room, and Renji wondered what Byakuya was planning. He was feeling foolish, stark naked on his lover's bed, the cool air caressing his skin and listening for Byakuya's breath.

And then he spoke, his low baritone rumbling from somewhere over Renji's chest, the words almost caressing his skin.

"You are a very confusing and irritating individual, Renji," Byakuya began, "you are uncouth and reckless, and show a blatant disrespect for the authority._ For my authority_. And yet, when you have the chance to command me, you choose to follow my every whim as if they were orders. I have never taken a lover I don't consider my equal in the bedroom but here you act as a subordinate. And I have never appointed an officer I don't expect to follow my orders, and there is where you dare question them."

Renji thought about Byakuya's words and saw he was right. He also saw he had been a bit of an idiot.

"You think I can't read your expressions and your thoughts etched clearly on your features when we are in the office? I can see your yearning to bend me over my own desk, pin me down and fuck me until I scream the whole Taisha down." Those filthy words uttered in Byakuya's deep voice and his breath caressing Renji's chest were having a delightful effect on his body. His half aroused cock sprang to full attention within seconds, and Renji had to stifle a moan at the images those words were creating in his head.

"You know that's never going to happen. Not there. But here--" Byakuya's voice trailed off, and Renji opened his eyes a tiny crack, enough to see his body hovering over Renji's, Byakuya's mouth moving slightly downwards, his breath heating up Renji's skin where it landed. "Here I would not stop you. I would allow your hands to take the haori and kenseikan from me, to divest me of clothes and any sign of position. Here, Renji, I'd let you take me on top of my desk. I'd let you spread my legs, hold me against the hard wood while you slide inside of me," Renji's breath became laboured, and he ached for a touch. He could feel his arousal throbbing painfully, and he moved one of his hands to relieve himself.

Byakuya's firm grip around his wrist stopped the motion. He closed his eyes again.

"I'd allow you to take me, Renji," Byakuya continued. "Not in the slow and careful way you've done the few times I've asked you to, as if I was as frail as a woman and you feared hurt or offend me. I'd let you push me against the wall and pound into me, making me feel each thrust with punishing force. I know you want to do it." And at that precise moment there was nothing in the world Renji wanted more than taking Byakuya, slam him against the wall and do exactly that.

"Fuck yes," Renji moaned, unable to contain himself any longer. He was very close to losing it, but he tried to stay still, wanting to hear what else Byakuya had to say.

"There is very little I won't allow you to do, Renji," Byakuya said, his breath moving down Renji's abdomen and there was little doubt of what destination he had in mind. Renji shuddered. "I will still take you, for your heat and the expressions on your face and those little gasps you try to contain when I'm inside of you are something I love, but it doesn't need to be always that way. I want to feel your passion and your force inside me, and I want it to come from you, not because I ask you to."

It was taking all of Renji's self-control not to grab Byakuya's head and force it down where he wanted it, for it to wrap around his cock and finish the job his words and warm breath had started. He panted raggedly, his mind full of filthy images of Byakuya spread open for him, and his hips pushed up on their own volition, brushing lightly against Byakuya's lips. Renji shuddered.

"Within these walls, Renji, we have no rank," Byakuya's lips mouthed the words against the sensitive skin of his cock, Renji's gasps almost loud enough to drown them. "You don't need to submit to me unless you want to. You can have me on my knees, and thrust wildly into me. You can come with me, or on me, or in me--" Byakuya's voice was breathless and ragged now, and Renji felt himself on the brink of orgasm, just a touch would be enough to send him over the edge.

As if he knew exactly how close Renji was, Byakuya tongue darted out and with just one long lick from base to tip Renji was there, the breath stuck on his throat while his body shuddered in pleasure. He barely felt when Byakuya's body pressed against his, his mouth latching onto Renji's neck, his hips digging almost painfully against his still pulsing cock. He felt Byakuya stiffen and gasp, the warmness spreading over his skin.

His mind still full of the images Byakuya had painted for him; Renji grabbed his head and kissed him deeply, enjoying the taste and feel of his lover's mouth.

"I understand," he finally said breaking the kiss, his breath still short.

"Good," Byakuya said, looking at him sharply. And it wasn't fair that he could still look so commanding right after giving Renji a powerful orgasm with just his words. "Because I don't want to repeat myself. If you can't keep our relationships separate we won't have relationships to separate."

Renji knew it wasn't an idle threat; Byakuya was more than capable of doing it.

Not that he would give him a chance to, he had no intentions to lose this.

…


End file.
